I snuck into Venice's most well-known gondola yard in September of 2000 and took these photos.
The stern quarter of a gondola da traghetto, stripped of her parecio and undergoing repair. 
The original gondola builders came to Venice from the timber producing regions of the Italian Alps. Their heritage is seen in the architecture of many current squero buildings. 
I got the impression while watching these two guys that they were gondoliers, either working on their own boats or on boats that belong to their cooperative. Notice the Venetian version of a refridgerated truck going by in the background.
The stern quarter of a gondola da traghetto, stripped of her parecio and undergoing repair. 
The original gondola builders came to Venice from the timber producing regions of the Italian Alps. Their heritage is seen in the architecture of many current squero buildings. 
I got the impression while watching these two guys that they were gondoliers, either working on their own boats or on boats that belong to their cooperative. Notice the Venetian version of a refridgerated truck going by in the background.
2 comments:
Did you ever see the movie "The Italian Job" where they are having the high speed chase through the canals of Venice, and the pass by a boat yard that looks just like this one? And then they drive right through a gondola???
And then do you just want to cry right then and there, even though it's movie magic and the boat owners were well-paid for this sacrilegious act?
Oh yes, that scene, along with the one in Moonraker, will always stick with me.
such a sinful thing to rip a gondola in half like that.
I wonder how much they had to prepare the gondola for such a scene.
I'm sure it was ancient with a new paint job.
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